As I contemplate our American presidential election, my first response has been waves of disbelief, followed by despair, followed by resolve.
Obviously it is important to pay attention to what happened, and for those on the progressive side of the spectrum to contemplate what it is we were missing that invited so many people to fall under the sway of a demagogue patently unsuited for the presidency. Times are hard and anxiety and fear are the currency of such times. And, a solution has been presented that is so simple and clear and put forth in the language any eighth grader can understand: we are under assault by others. They are brown and black, they are gays and lesbians and transgendered people, they are uppity women. The problem is political correctness at home and streaming mobs of brown skinned terrorists sneaking into this country and stealing our jobs.
For this to sell, things have to be very bad. And, they are. We need to attend to this. We need to listen to the problems. And, we need to stand up for all the gains in civil liberty we’ve achieved in the past two generations. Caring for everyone and fostering institutions and policies that support our highest aspirations are never in conflict.
The stakes are enormous.
So, what can possibly be our best way forward as we face these hard, hard times?
Well, California’s legislative leaders have just released a joint statement following the announced results of the presidential election. It is a significant part of the resistance we need to mount against the terror taking over the Federal government. Not the all in all, not by far, but a significant inaugural step.
Today, we woke up feeling like strangers in a foreign land, because yesterday Americans expressed their views on a pluralistic and democratic society that are clearly inconsistent with the values of the people of California.
We have never been more proud to be Californians.
By a margin in the millions, Californians overwhelmingly rejected politics fueled by resentment, bigotry, and misogyny.
The largest state of the union and the strongest driver of our nation’s economy has shown it has its surest conscience as well.
California is – and must always be – a refuge of justice and opportunity for people of all walks, talks, ages and aspirations – regardless of how you look, where you live, what language you speak, or who you love.
California has long set an example for other states to follow. And California will defend its people and our progress. We are not going to allow one election to reverse generations of progress at the height of our historic diversity, scientific advancement, economic output, and sense of global responsibility.
We will be reaching out to federal, state and local officials to evaluate how a Trump Presidency will potentially impact federal funding of ongoing state programs, job-creating investments reliant on foreign trade, and federal enforcement of laws affecting the rights of people living in our state. We will maximize the time during the presidential transition to defend our accomplishments using every tool at our disposal.
While Donald Trump may have won the presidency, he hasn’t changed our values. America is greater than any one man or party. We will not be dragged back into the past. We will lead the resistance to any effort that would shred our social fabric or our Constitution.
California was not a part of this nation when its history began, but we are clearly now the keeper of its future.
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Hoy despertamos sintiéndonos extranjeros en tierra extraña, porque ayer los estadounidenses expresaron sus opiniones sobre una sociedad pluralista y democrática que es claramente inconsistente con los valores de la gente de California.
Nunca nos hemos sentido más orgullosos de ser californianos.
Por un margen de millones de votos, los californianos rechazaron abrumadoramente la política alimentada por el resentimiento, la intolerancia y la misoginia.
El estado más grande de la unión y la locomotora de la economía de nuestra nación ha demostrado que también tiene su conciencia más tranquila.
California es – y debe ser siempre – un refugio de justicia y oportunidades para las personas de todos los orígenes, lenguas, edades, y aspiraciones – independientemente de su apariencia, dónde vivan, qué idioma hablen, o a quiénes amen.
California, por mucho tiempo, ha sido un ejemplo a seguir para otros estados. Y California defenderá a su gente y nuestro progreso. No vamos a permitir que una elección sea un revés para el progreso de generaciones en la cima de nuestra histórica diversidad, el avance científico, la generación económica y un sentido de responsabilidad global.
Estaremos comunicándonos con los funcionarios federales, estatales y locales para evaluar cómo una Presidencia Trump podría afectar potencialmente los fondos de programas estatales en curso, las inversiones creadoras de empleos que dependen del comercio exterior y la aplicación de las leyes federales que afectan los derechos de las personas que viven en nuestro estado.
Estaremos utilizando al máximo el tiempo durante la transición presidencial para defender nuestros logros, usando cada herramienta a nuestra disposición.
Aunque Donald Trump haya ganado la presidencia, no ha cambiado nuestros valores. Estados Unidos es más grande que cualquier hombre o partido. No seremos arrastrados de vuelta al pasado. Lideraremos la resistencia a cualquier esfuerzo que destruya nuestro tejido social o nuestra Constitución.
California no era una parte de esta nación cuando comenzó su historia, pero ahora somos claramente los encargados de mantener su futuro.
We need to stand up for progressive values and the hopes of all for a country that respects and fosters its citizens, as well as cares for the rest of the world, and the world itself.
And this is the call:
Resist.
Stand up for what we can be.
Dream big…
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